Army Staff Sergeant surprises family in Chalfont

Chalfont, Pa. (WTXF) There was a special homecoming for a family in Chalfont on Tuesday night.

FOX 29's Chris O' Connell was there for the emotional surprisse.

At Action karate in Chalfont, there's a lesson in every class. Lessons such as courage, strength and discipline.

On Tuesday, 5 -year-old yellow belt Daniel Myrick and the rest of his class learned about reacting to the unexpected. That lesson in reaction paid off for Daniel because fresh of a plane from Korea, his father walked through the door.

It's been 6 months since 5-year-old Daniel and 3-year-old Ryan have been able to hug their dad. Army Staff Sergeant Joseph Myrick has been deployed to Korea. The cyber terrorism expert is now on a 30-day leave and he made it just in time for Daniel's 6th birthday. Sergeant Myrick is in the middle of this third tour of duty overseas.

He says his wife, Jennifer, has the hard job of keeping the family together back home.

"They miss having him around. They spend a lot of time together. They learn a lot from dad. And it's hard to pick up both parental roles even if you have support you are constantly playing mom and dad," she told FOX 29.

The next 30 days will all about family. Video games and a couple short vacations before dad heads back to Korea. And there's even better news coming, his next overseas tour will be his last. He says he's missed enough family time already.

"I have missed Daniels birth, missed his last birthday. It's never really easy but you have to do what you have to do," said Sergeant Myrick.